I have been missing in action from this blog because I took on a project which actually paid me to write and I just didn't have time to write for two blogs at the same time. Time or juice.
It was fun for awhile. Instead of writing about family and home and dogs and such, I wrote mostly about life in the Shenandoah Valley - things to do, places to go... I threw in the Ump (although I referred to him by his given name - which was weird) and assorted family members when I could squeeze them in. My columns felt bland without them.
That experiment ended in July and in the meantime I have been experimenting with various social networks to get a feel for what that is all about. Facebook has been very interesting, though I admit I feel a bit like an intruder. Most of my friends who are on Facebook (including my stepdaughter) are in their mid to late-20s. They joined Facebook in college - it was the way they got to know more about each other.
I think MySpace is more the place for just everybody. I haven't gone there much except to look up sites that belong to particular music groups and things like that. I do not have a MySpace spot yet.
I am on Plaxo and LinkedIn and another professional networking site whose name escapes me right now. The interesting aspect of these services is that you kind find people you worked with in previous jobs. While I have been in the working world for more than 20 years, I have only worked for two companies, so this doesn't work as well for me as it does for job-hoppers who really move around. But I did manage to find a former co-worker from my first job and check in with her for the first time in 20 years.
All this social networking is a little more time-consuming than I realized and I barely have enough time to accomplish my routine life. The Ump thinks I spend way too much time on my computer. My comeback is that he spends way too much time watching sports. That argument usually ends in a draw because neither of us are willing to give up our indulgences.
Many things have happened this year which I have yet to write about. The biggest event was Olivia's wedding in September and the new addition to our family (not the son-in-lsaw) Bud the wacky weiner dog.
I am actually writing from Covington today. I came home to visit with my parents for a bit and to help Mom with her computer. So while I am at the keyboard, I decided to slip in a quick update.
For those of you who have been most encouraging, thanks for the pressure. Just kidding. I need to do this much more often than I do. I miss writing when I don't do it, but when you get out of the routine sometimes it is hard to climb back in the saddle.
I have a children's story percolating in my head right now. Hopefully, I will hope on that one before too long.
Anyway, it's good to be back and I will be seeing you soon.
